It includes Oklahoma, but it doesn't mean I am limited to Oklahoma. God can take me anywhere He wants, whether it be Oklahoma, Florida, Europe, Australia, China, Kenya, or elsewhere in Africa or the World. I really do feel led to move to Kenya in early 2015

Well, if God is leading you to Kenya, why has he not directly spoken to you about doing so?! Did God catch laryngitis and lose his voice?

Thats the 800 pound elephant in the room that you refuse to address.

John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow.

I cant find anything in John 10:27 about My sheep know how to read tea leaves. Nor can I find any example in scripture of God commissioning someone to do something without God actually speaking to them.

Obviously, God has given you the freedom to move to Kenya, just as he has given me the freedom to move to Kenya but having the freedom to do something is totally different than being given a commission (an order) to do something.

If youve read my testimony, you know that God used a girl (who is now my wife) to bring me to Christ. He set something inside my heart concerning her from the very instant I first came into her presence in the Fall of 1991 that made me understand my destiny was linked to her. I wouldnt understand it fully until the moment I was saved in Oct 1992, then God answered my query concerning the purpose of her being brought into my wife.

BUT, I did NOT interpret her purpose in bringing me to Christ as a sign that I had to marry her. God did NOT command me to marry her, even though he DID command me to go and explain the true Gospel to her. Marrying her was my own choice. I had liberty from God to marry anyone I so chose to marry (as long as they were Christian and of the opposite sex, of course ).

In fact, before our marriage, my pastor (he always gives pre-marriage counseling to couples as a prerequisite to conducting the marriage) even pointed out to me that nothing in my testimony require that I marry her. I assured him I understood that and that I fully agreed. But that is the difference between my pastor and yours  my pastor differentiates between freedom and God-given commands, and he believes the will of God is ALREADY spelled out in scripture (he doesnt buy into things like The Purpose Driven Life which tells people they have to constantly seek Gods purpose for their lives). And he knows the difference between the voice of God and the imagination of those who attempt to read tea leaves, cause he himself knows the voice of God because God spoke to him and said, I am calling you to be a pastor. Thats why, if youve seen his videos I posted, he is so down to earth and unshaken by the latest fads going on in Christianity  he doesnt get caught up in the latest doctrinal fads because he keeps a connection with Christ.

I have met pastors who became pastors without a true calling to do so  I once had a pastor invite us over for a bible study (his wife worked with my wife in 1995 and had invited us over for a bible study  the pastors wife thought my wife was a heathen for wearing lip gloss and showing off her neck) tell me that he determined he was called to be a pastor because he put a fleece before God by placing two adds in some newspaper and didnt receive a reply to either, and he had always received a reply to those ads. I didnt say anything to him, but in the back of my mind I was thinking, Youve got to be kidding me!!! but that does explain why you suck. They ended up basically kicking us out of their house after asking me to come to Christ and then being offended by our testimony we gave as a response.

I am not just reading tea leaves here. God often speaks to His children in visions/dreams and through Scripture and through trusted family and friends. He has spoken to me in all three ways over the past month. He has given me countless dreams of my mission down there. He has spoken to me through Scripture, mainly in three places, my testimonial verses in Exodus 4:10-12 and also in Genesis 12:1-5, and my favorite verse of Scripture in Philippians 4:19. He has also spoken to me through trusted friends and family. My pastor and youth/music minister for instance last evening. My youth/music minister was the most skeptical of this, and He went on the trip with me. He is starting to realize where I am coming from. My cousin who I have, of course, known all of our lives and I trust her guidance. I have spoken to my former pastor and his wife who has been down this road before with their daughter moving to South Africa just a few years ago. The little "confirmations" were just blessings along the way. God has definitely spoken to me over the past month through a number of ways, visions, Scripture, and through others. He has spoken to me through this forum, as well, because it has helped me refine WHY I am going there and making sure I am not going down there (A) for the wrong reasons and (B) end up being another mouth to feed.

Saying that you know God has "definitely spoken" do you through visions is borderline blasphemy... you can't know that. And, from a theological standpoint (being a Dispensationalist), I would argue that we are past the dispensation of visions by God.

I totally disagree. I believe God can speak however He wants. He can still make the sun stand still if He wants like He did in the book of Joshua. He can make the sun go backwards. He doesn't speak in the earthquake, or the wind, or the rain, or the fire. Rather, He speaks in a still small voice, or as some translations put it, the sound of a gentle blowing. That is what I've been hearing, the still small voice, a gentle whisper that was loud and clear.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

Bushie have you discussed your calling with your parents yet? If not, you don't have to say why not, cause we all know the answer to that.

No, I haven't discussed it with my parents, yet, because I want to make sure I have a lot more pieces of the puzzle in place such as possible employment and housing arrangements, etc. before I approach them. In doing so, like I said I am talking to the Maisha Coordinator on Wednesday, 2 May at her office in Downtown Oklahoma City to discuss this in greater depth. Plus, the time is not right to tell my parents. I want to wait until I get further removed from the March 2012 trip before I tell them. I will probably wait until after the meetings have begun for March 2013 trip which should happen this October. Sometime around the Holidays this year, I will tell them.

So you're going to hide a major life decision from them for six months? May I ask why?

Bushie, for once in your life, think with your brain. Not your heart, not what you think God wants or tells you to do, but think with your very own brain and use the concept of rationale thought

I am thinking with my brain. That's what people don't understand. This forum thinks the ONLY rational decision is to stay in Oklahoma and not move a muscle.

No you aren't. If you were thinking with your actual brain you wouldn't be going on about God told you this or God told you that. Use your own brain, think rationally and keep God out of the question.

Also no one is suggesting you should stay in Oklahoma all your life. If I was there I would sure as hell want out. However, there is a major difference between moving on with your life, trying a different direction, etc and moving halfway across the Globe It doesn't have to be Kenya or Oklahoma forever

Bushie have you discussed your calling with your parents yet? If not, you don't have to say why not, cause we all know the answer to that.

No, I haven't discussed it with my parents, yet, because I want to make sure I have a lot more pieces of the puzzle in place such as possible employment and housing arrangements, etc. before I approach them. In doing so, like I said I am talking to the Maisha Coordinator on Wednesday, 2 May at her office in Downtown Oklahoma City to discuss this in greater depth. Plus, the time is not right to tell my parents. I want to wait until I get further removed from the March 2012 trip before I tell them. I will probably wait until after the meetings have begun for March 2013 trip which should happen this October. Sometime around the Holidays this year, I will tell them.

So you're going to hide a major life decision from them for six months? May I ask why?

Whatever happened to "honor thy father and thy mother"?

I want to get a few more pieces of the puzzle in place such as how am I going to support myself, where am I going to live, and such like that. Plus, the timing just is not right. I am honoring them by making sure I have a clearer idea of the important questions before I tell them. I want to have my ducks in a row so to speak.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

Bushie, for once in your life, think with your brain. Not your heart, not what you think God wants or tells you to do, but think with your very own brain and use the concept of rationale thought

I am thinking with my brain. That's what people don't understand. This forum thinks the ONLY rational decision is to stay in Oklahoma and not move a muscle.

No you aren't. If you were thinking with your actual brain you wouldn't be going on about God told you this or God told you that. Use your own brain, think rationally and keep God out of the question.

Also no one is suggesting you should stay in Oklahoma all your life. If I was there I would sure as hell want out. However, there is a major difference between moving on with your life, trying a different direction, etc and moving halfway across the Globe It doesn't have to be Kenya or Oklahoma forever

If you expect me to leave God out of the equation, forget it. He is my Rock and my Hiding Place. He has brought me this far, I am not going to abandon Him now.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

Well, the cat's out of the bag, folks! My mother found out my plans on facebook. She asked me just now if I had quit work, I was honest with her that, yes, I do plan to move to Kenya, but not until Spring 2015 at the earliest, and that I have not quit work and if I can swing it, I will try to transfer to the Dell in Nairobi. I told her I am not ready to move to Kenya and I have a lot of stuff left to do in Oklahoma.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

Well, the cat's out of the bag, folks! My mother found out my plans on facebook. She asked me just now if I had quit work, I was honest with her that, yes, I do plan to move to Kenya, but not until Spring 2015 at the earliest, and that I have not quit work and if I can swing it, I will try to transfer to the Dell in Nairobi. I told her I am not ready to move to Kenya and I have a lot of stuff left to do in Oklahoma.

Maybe the picture of the Kenyan boy as your profile pic caused her to read further? Will you delete mom and dad and your brother now too? Maybe LP will tell you to "tidy up" your friends list and remove them? She is a whackjob.

Well, the cat's out of the bag, folks! My mother found out my plans on facebook. She asked me just now if I had quit work, I was honest with her that, yes, I do plan to move to Kenya, but not until Spring 2015 at the earliest, and that I have not quit work and if I can swing it, I will try to transfer to the Dell in Nairobi. I told her I am not ready to move to Kenya and I have a lot of stuff left to do in Oklahoma.

Maybe the picture of the Kenyan boy as your profile pic caused her to read further? Will you delete mom and dad and your brother now too? Maybe LP will tell you to "tidy up" your friends list and remove them? She is a whackjob.

I am not going to delete my family, because they are... my family. Plus, none of them are saying this is a bad idea.

That friend on facebook you mention is probably my best friend on there. I don't agree with her on everything, but I do agree with her on a lot of things.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

Having your parents on Facebook in the first place is weird and unwise, but then so are you I suppose. And of course they're not saying this pipe dream is a bad idea; they were also fully supportive of you scamming them and your grandma those couple of times.

Having your parents on Facebook in the first place is weird and unwise, but then so are you I suppose.

I'm FB friends with my Mom, and know several other people who are FB friends with their parents. Never thought it was a big deal. But then, I guess it depends on how much you use FB and what you use it for. I'm over 30, and have a relatively boring life, so there's nothing I would want to put on FB that I mind if my mother sees.

Having your parents on Facebook in the first place is weird and unwise, but then so are you I suppose.

I'm FB friends with my Mom, and know several other people who are FB friends with their parents. Never thought it was a big deal. But then, I guess it depends on how much you use FB and what you use it for. I'm over 30, and have a relatively boring life, so there's nothing I would want to put on FB that I mind if my mother sees.

If you're slowing becoming an african, have african kids, and call the Kenyan President your President....I'd suggest you defriend them

The love the idea. We happened to bump into each other at Walmart this afternoon as they were leaving and I was arriving to get stuff for my care package party for the kids and she gave me $20 to put toward the contents. I showed them the pictures of their two grandkids that I just got via email this past Thursday and they loved them. They know this is where my heart is, and I had a feeling they were going to find out before I planned to tell them because I am friends with both of my parents on facebook and they occasionally check it. I wasn't at all suprised, and in fact, I am relieved because now I can talk openly about this in front of them and to them and they have even more time to wrap their heads around their baby boy living nearly 10,000 miles away.

I don't know exactly how they feel, yet, other than I think my mother is relieved that I am not moving right away. Of course, by the time I leave I will be almost 33 years old, so I am really not looking for their approval, I am just looking for their blessing. My mother is cutting off all financial support to me when I turn 30 years old next Sunday, 29 April, because (1) I am 30 and (2) she retires from work the next day on 30 April so they will have to rely on his income for 6 months until her retirement checks kick in this November which will be less than what she is making now. In doing so, they are also agreeing to allow me to make every decision that affects me. I will come to them for advice and guidance because they are double my age, my father will be 61 next February and my mother will be 60 this October, but the final decision and its consequences rest on my shoulders. If I succeed, that's great. If I fall, they will not be there to pick me up except emotionally and spiritually. They cannot pick me up, financially, anymore.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

The love the idea. We happened to bump into each other at Walmart this afternoon as they were leaving and I was arriving to get stuff for my care package party for the kids and she gave me $20 to put toward the contents. I showed them the pictures of their two grandkids that I just got via email this past Thursday and they loved them. They know this is where my heart is, and I had a feeling they were going to find out before I planned to tell them because I am friends with both of my parents on facebook and they occasionally check it. I wasn't at all suprised, and in fact, I am relieved because now I can talk openly about this in front of them and to them and they have even more time to wrap their heads around their baby boy living nearly 10,000 miles away.

I don't know exactly how they feel, yet, other than I think my mother is relieved that I am not moving right away. Of course, by the time I leave I will be almost 33 years old, so I am really not looking for their approval, I am just looking for their blessing. My mother is cutting off all financial support to me when I turn 30 years old next Sunday, 29 April, because (1) I am 30 and (2) she retires from work the next day on 30 April so they will have to rely on his income for 6 months until her retirement checks kick in this November which will be less than what she is making now. In doing so, they are also agreeing to allow me to make every decision that affects me. I will come to them for advice and guidance because they are double my age, my father will be 61 next February and my mother will be 60 this October, but the final decision and its consequences rest on my shoulders. If I succeed, that's great. If I fall, they will not be there to pick me up except emotionally and spiritually. They cannot pick me up, financially, anymore.

Bushie have you discussed your calling with your parents yet? If not, you don't have to say why not, cause we all know the answer to that.

No, I haven't discussed it with my parents, yet, because I want to make sure I have a lot more pieces of the puzzle in place such as possible employment and housing arrangements, etc. before I approach them. In doing so, like I said I am talking to the Maisha Coordinator on Wednesday, 2 May at her office in Downtown Oklahoma City to discuss this in greater depth. Plus, the time is not right to tell my parents. I want to wait until I get further removed from the March 2012 trip before I tell them. I will probably wait until after the meetings have begun for March 2013 trip which should happen this October. Sometime around the Holidays this year, I will tell them.

That says EVERYTHING right there... they're going to tell you the same thing we've been telling you. And I think some part of you knows they'd be / we are right... you're doing this because you had an emotional reaction to the trip.

To be honest, I'm far enough away from the trip now, having been home almost a month and the desires and feelings have done nothing but grow. The more I think about it, the more excited I get, the bigger my smile gets, and the more confident my steps become. My cousin has seen a drastic change in me since I've been home and she told me just this evening that she has not seen that change die, rather she has seen it grow and evolve into a little clearer picture of what my mission will actually be. My mission, as I have been saying, and nobody on this forum is addressing this aspect, is that Maisha International Orphanage serves 450 orphans and about 100-150 widows. They have a grand total of 3 men overseeing the day to day operations on the ground. They need men in the worst way because these widows have lost their husbands largely due to AIDS. These three men are in great health, themselves, but they have a hard time serving 600 people (that's roughly 200 people per man) and have time to themselves as well. When I go down there, I would be not only a 4th man, but also the only white man down there and will be able to bring some American perspective to the situation.

Put it another way, I am not going down there to do what I want to do and I am not going down there to serve my best interest. My best interest and what I want to do is in Oklahoma. I am giving up all my dreams and ambitions in Oklahoma to give my life completely to my God and really serving Him and really worshipping Him. As a Christian, the Bible teaches me that I am bought with a price, and my life does not belong to me. My life belongs to Jesus. He owns the deed to my life. It is only right for me to give my self completely to Him because He gave Himself completely for me on the cross dying in my place for my sins and taking the punishment that I deserve.

I really do appreciate this forum's concern for my well being, but let me tell you I am not doing this to see what I can gain out of it. I know I'm going to give up a lot by leaving Oklahoma for Kenya. I also know that I'm going to gain a lot by doing the exact same thing.

The Bible also says in James 1 that true religion is taking care of the widows and orphans.

All my dreams and ambitions that I had before I went to Africa have been redirected to eternal things, not temporal things.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

Did anyone doubt his parents wouldn't be totally on board with this given their past behavior? This will only accelerate the move, not slow it down. I fear they will tell him to go to his kids regardless of whether he has a job because god will just provide one when he gets there.

I hope he will at least stick to his promise not to move unless he has employment locked down there.

Another thing BushKE has yet to consider is this; most of the missionaries I have met in the past go to Kenya for a few years at a time or a few months, but few actually move there permanently. Those jobs are rarely permanent. Most of them are young people who go for a bit. What he wants to do doesn't seem like something one typically does. I just think this is all crazy.

What he wants to do doesn't seem like something one typically does. I just think this is all crazy.

Have you been paying any attention at all to the 'updates' here these past few years?

I guess I keep forgetting who we are dealing with. And I guess I am insane considering I keep doing the same thing, reading these threads, and expecting a different outcome. BushKE was right all along!

I hope he will at least stick to his promise not to move unless he has employment locked down there.

I am going to stick around until at least the Fall 2014 most likely the Spring 2015. I am going to get my MBA first and make sure I have not only employment locked down, but housing and transportation, as well. I've got minimum 2 1/2 years to work on all three of those things, more likely 3 years. Really, I have as long as it takes, whether that's 2 1/2 years or whether that is 5 years.

Quote

Another thing BushKE has yet to consider is this; most of the missionaries I have met in the past go to Kenya for a few years at a time or a few months, but few actually move there permanently. Those jobs are rarely permanent. Most of them are young people who go for a bit. What he wants to do doesn't seem like something one typically does. I just think this is all crazy.

I am well aware of what "typically" happens. Since when have I ever been "typical". This forum knows that all too well. There is a chance I could come back after a few years, but if I get down there by my 33rd birthday, I would like to not come back to America permanently until I'm at least 40, 10 years from now. I want to stay down there permanently, but I'm open to whatever length of time I am called to be there. I believe it will be permanent, but I am open to whatever I need to do.

My earlier comment notwithstanding, I do think that the site would be better off if Inks left his position. (The fact that the village idiot has dropped in to express his support for him only confirms this.)

I hope he will at least stick to his promise not to move unless he has employment locked down there.

I am going to stick around until at least the Fall 2014 most likely the Spring 2015. I am going to get my MBA first and make sure I have not only employment locked down, but housing and transportation, as well. I've got minimum 2 1/2 years to work on all three of those things, more likely 3 years. Really, I have as long as it takes, whether that's 2 1/2 years or whether that is 5 years.

Quote

Another thing BushKE has yet to consider is this; most of the missionaries I have met in the past go to Kenya for a few years at a time or a few months, but few actually move there permanently. Those jobs are rarely permanent. Most of them are young people who go for a bit. What he wants to do doesn't seem like something one typically does. I just think this is all crazy.

I am well aware of what "typically" happens. Since when have I ever been "typical". This forum knows that all too well. There is a chance I could come back after a few years, but if I get down there by my 33rd birthday, I would like to not come back to America permanently until I'm at least 40, 10 years from now. I want to stay down there permanently, but I'm open to whatever length of time I am called to be there. I believe it will be permanent, but I am open to whatever I need to do.

So what if you don't end up going? If you heard God physically tell you to go, and the direction of what you think he wants you to do, how will you justify it?